It is present on the surface of earth crust in most of the rooks and clay. But to produce the metal bauxite
(Al2O3. 2H2O) is ideally suited ore.

Properties of Aluminium
1. It is having silver colour and bright lustre.
2. It is very light in weight.
3. It is good conductor of electricity.
4. It has very good resistance to corrosion.
5. It melts at 66Â°C.
6. It is highly ductile and malleable.
7. It has high strength to weight ratio.

Uses of Aluminium
1. It is used to make door and window frames.
2. Aluminium structural members are becoming popular.
3. Aluminium wires are used as conductors of electricity.
4. It is used as a foil.
5. Aluminium powder serves as pigments in paints.

A ferrous material is the one in which iron is a main constituent. Iron ore is first converted into pig ironÂ and then pig iron is subjected to various metallurgical processes to mix different percentage of carbonÂ and to get the following three useful ferrous materials:
1. Cast ironâcarbon content 1.7% to 4.5%
2. Wrought ironâcarbon content 0.05% to 0.15%
3. Steelâcarbon content 0.25% to 0.25%.
All ferrous materials contain about 0.5 to 3% silica, less than 2% manganese, 0.15% sulphur andÂ 0.6% phosphorous.1. Cast Iron:

Important properties of cast iron are:
(a) Compression strength is 700 N/mm2 and tensile strength is 150 N/mm2.
(b) It is brittle and does not absorb shocks
(c) Its specific gravity is 7.5.
(d) Its structure is coarse, crystalline and fibrous.
(e) It cannot be magnetised.
(f) It does not rust-easily.
(g) It has low melting point of about 1200Â°C.

Uses of Cast Iron:
(a) 1. It is used for making rain water and sanitary pipes, sanitary fittings and manhole covers.
2. It is used for making railings and spiral stair cases.
3. Fire gratings, cover for pumps and motors and brackets are made with cast irons.

2. Wrought Iron: It is almost pure iron. It contains less than 0.15% carbon. Attempts are made
to reduce the other impurities during the process of manufacturing.

Properties of Wrought Iron:
1. Its ultimate compressive strength is 200 N/mm2 and ultimate tensile strength is 375 N/mm2.
2. It is ductile and brittle.
3. Its unit weight is 77 kN/m3.
4. It melts at about 1500Â°C. It becomes so soft at 900Â°C that two pieces can be joined byÂ hammering.
5. It can absorb shocks very well.
6. It forms temporary magnets but it cannot be magnetised permanently.
7. It rusts more easily.

Uses of Wrought Iron:
1. It is used for making nails nuts and botts, wires and chains.
2. It is used for making roofing sheets, grills, fences, window gaurds etc.
3. Steel: It is extensively used building material. The following three varieties of steel areÂ extensively used:
(a) Mild steel
(b) High carbon steel and
(c) High tensile steel.
(a) Mild Steel: It contains a maximum of 0.25% carbon, 0.055% of sulphur and 0.55% ofÂ phosphorus.

Properties of Mild Steel:
(i) It is malleable and ductile
(ii) It is more elastic
(iii) It can be magnetized permanently.
(iv) Its specific gravity is 7.8.
(v) Its Youngâs modulus is 2.1 Ă 105 N/mm2.
(vi) It can be welded easily.
(vii) It is equally strong in tension and in compression.

Uses of Mild Steel:
(i) Round bars are extensively used as reinforcement in R.C.C. works.
(ii) Rolled sections like I, T, L, C, plates etc. are used to build steel columns, beams, trusses etc.
(iii) Tubular sections are used as poles and members of trusses.
(iv) Plain and corrugated mild steel are used as roofing materials.
(v) Mild steel sections are used in making parts of many machineries.

(b) High Carbon Steel: The carbon containts in this steel is 0.7% to 1.5%.
Properties of Carbon Steel:
(i) It is more tough and elastic compared to mild steel.
(ii) Welding is difficult.
(iii) It can be magnetized permanently.
(iv) It is stronger in compression than in tension.
(v) It withstands shocks and vibrations better.
Uses of High Carbon Steel:
(i) It is used for making tools such as drills, files, chisels.
(ii) Many machine parts are made with high carbon steel since it is capable of withstanding
shocks and vibrations.(c) High Tensile Steel: It contains 0.8% carbon and 0.6% manganese. The strength of this steel
is quite high. High tensile steel wires are used in prestressed concrete works.